Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Chicken in Mint, Coriander and Coconut Gravy

This year I have had no time for any gardening. It saddens me for I love seeing things grow but then I have realized I need to prioritize instead of taking up too many things and then not doing any of them right or rather simply delegating. Yes, I love delegating and if it is the husband who is at the receiving end I can turn into a full tyrant nagger. Unfortunately the husband has had not much time himself and after cleaning up the weeds and planting three cabbage plants which BS lugged from school he has refused to take my orders.

My family does not seem to understand the value I bring into their life. $#%$#%. And it does not stop at the other adult alone .My girls seem to follow the same route.

The other day I was particularly mad about something and told them --" You do not listen to me, I am going to go away and be some other kids' Mommy".

A statement which according to new age child psychologist would have scarred a child's formative mind and stunted their mental growth.
Nothing like that happened. My girls were not even bothered.

Instead the next day LittleSis comes and asks me, "Mommy, if you are going to be other kids' Mother, what is going to happen to their Mommy ? Are they going to have two Mommies? Won't their house get too crowded?" !

Nary a thought about her own Mother being gone was discussed.

But not to worry. For I still have neighbors.

I mean I cannot delegate my work to them or make them understand my billion dollar worth but I can borrow their Mint. And there is no dearth of it. Come summer their Mint bush grows and spills over and creates havoc as if she had Persephone's number on speed dial. They are only too happy if I snip off some. And no doubt that is what I do.

For a couple of weeks, every Saturday or maybe even Sunday I have been making this chicken curry with mint, coriander and coconut.We are trying to eat more fish and vegetables and less meat these days. Definitely very less of mutton or any red meat. But at least two days a week it is chicken curry for us and more for LittleSis who is a big time meat fan. With this kind of a curry you need to make little else and along with a rice and salad it makes for a nice weekend lunch.

The idea of this curry came from Srivalli's(who blogs at Cooking for all Seasons) Mutton Semi Gravy or Mutton Gojju. That it was Andhra style nailed it for me. To it got added the mint-coriander masala paste I make for Pudina Dhania Chicken which was inspired by Aayis Recipes.Following Sri's idea I also added some coconut to the paste. The chicken curry was really very good.We all loved the gravy so much that I have made it several times now.

The best part is you can also use the same recipe for fish or Paneer and it tastes awesome

Add
the green masala paste1 small tomato chopped, 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri Mirch,
and 2 tsp Coriander powder
Mix well and cook the chicken in the masala for 10-15 minutes. If any water is release from the chicken let it evaporate. Finally when you see oil seeping out at the edges add about a cup of warm water.

Mix well and add salt to taste.A sprinkle of rock salt or beet noon enhances the taste.
Also add 6 green chili slit if like me you had not added chili to the paste. Add a few more mint leaves and cover and let the chicken cook
You can do this step in the Pressure cooker too.

39 comments:

Sandeepa thankfully you have not been told this. "You cannot be other kids mommy. They will not take you as their mommy. Tumi bishoon boko. :-." In every house, there is always a different but similar prompt answer ready.

I have been looking for this recipe for a long time. Today I have all the ingredients. Must try.

Also check the original recipe. It suggests more chili powder and also is done without the paste. I am planning to do that exactly too in a Pressure Cooker. But this mint paste is very universal. I will make it over the weekend and use it for curry, fish bake or paneer throughout the week

this chicken is so very familiar, i can almost taste it! you know, we lived and worked in bangalore for a couple of years, and the one thing that i loved was the minty touch to their food. even after i'd gotten tired of the curry leaves, i still loved the mint. my cook (yes, those were the days!) would make this amazing hyderabadi biryani with mint, and i would come back home from work to that smell wafting out of the kitchen. i miss all that!

Hi hi i love lil S question yeah kids are so different arent they now. When i say hings like that Shyama says with a huge smile to Hans we will put in the local newspapaer, A handsome Widower looking for a well filled woman and she has to be a multi millionaire too :-)

We saw that movie in the theaters last year and all LS had to say is "Brocolli khelona tai or Ma ke niye gelo" and that didn't make her eat Broccoli if you are curious !!!Amar ek bondhur chelera kintu "Ma, Mars e chole jabe" bole khub kande

hi, ive been following your blog and recipes for a few months and love it! i live in the uk and am a bong, soon going to be a mom too. so these recipes , esp the bong ones, are dear to my heart. i made this one this weekend and its turned out beautifully- thank you! ive also made shorshe salmon and your aloo posto and they are now repeats in our home. i look forward to be able to try out more of your stuff during myyear long mat leave!!!

I have prepared something like this before. Let's say it was similar and was called "korma". In addition to mint, coriander, coconut, it had poppy seeds(khus khus, posto) also. Rest of the ingredients remain the same. Good pictures(the slices of lemon on the plate make it so tempting!!). Make some Mughlai porota if you can. I have looked over a few recipes and tried(eating) it outside, but they were dfferent from each other and I couldnt make out which is authentic.

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Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine